“This Tesla factory is the future of the USA and the world,” say Tesla Motors’ VP of Manufacturing, Gilbert Passin of the company’s highly automated assembly plant.

At present, the facility in Fremont Calif. takes about 3-5 days to turn out a completed Model S from raw materials of aluminum, electric driveline components, the interior, electronics, and so forth.

In short, it’s an electrified factory building electric cars, and Wired put together this video of Tesla’s effort that includes 160 robots and 3,000 employees.

Tesla projects sales of approximately 21,000 Model S sedans this year and its market position and stock price have caught the attention even of those who don’t normally pay as much attention.

Passin says meanwhile Tesla is constantly working to refine its process efficiencies.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 1st, 2013 at 5:55 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

COMMENTS: 65

1

+13

Mark Z Says

Aug 1st, 2013 (6:04 am)

It is a very impressive video featuring a lot more action than my tour of the factory in October, 2011. Currently they are making 400 vehicles a week with a planned increase to 800 a week by the end of 2014. If demand increases, I wouldn’t doubt the numbers could be higher in less time.

The flexibility of the same robot installing seats and windows could be key in running both Model X and S lines at the same time. Having three models in production should add to the complexity and that doesn’t include the Tesla Truck that Elon is talking about.

Compared with the carbon fiber manufacture of the BMW i3, the ability to complete the car in 3 to 5 days is impressive. From rolls of aluminum and plastic pellets (seen in 2011), they bought the right equipment to capture a major part of the EV auto industry. It will be interesting to check the progress of Model X and the $35,000 compact/economy version in the next few years.

“Vertical” manufacturing is a very old style of doing things, probably forced on Tesla by modestly low volumes. ( http://www.umich.edu/~econdev/riverrouge/ ) Hence, 3000 workers to make 20,000 cars per year is an absurdly high number by modern standards. 3k x 2k = 6,000,000 man-hours/year. 6000000 / 20000 = 300 man-hours per car. “Modern” would be less than 20.

It’s not that quite that simple. Production from ore is expensive. Most aluminum gets recycled, you don’t just throw it away. Aluminum welding is a little more complicated and aluminum fatigue life isn’t as good as steel. Oh sure, doesn’t mean it can’t be used in place of steel in applications, but only after careful engineering. It’s not a no-brainer.

9

Nelson Says

Aug 1st, 2013 (8:36 am)

So of the 3000 employees how many are union workers? Maybe the answer to that question also answers why Tesla makes a profit on each Model S sold.

“BMW is manufacturing the i3 body-in-white from carbon-fiber at a new US$100 million plant built in Moses Lake, Washington, using raw material that will be shipped from Japan. This location was selected to take advantage of the abundant hydroelectric power available in this U.S. region because carbon-fiber production requires considerable energy and would otherwise emit much carbon dioxide. The carbon fiber is then shipped to Landshut, Germany, where the carbon-fiber reinforced plastic parts are fabricated, and the vehicle assembly line is located in Leipzig.”

Amazing find – Here is the video link to watch the fiber process in detail to final stamping:

Quote:
For the second time in as many months, GM outpaced the yearly averages and sold a significant amount of Chevrolet Volts. For July 1,788 Volts were moved off dealer lots.
More Than 1,700 US Consumers Chose The Volt In June, Good For 2nd Best In The Nation
More Than 1,700 US Consumers Chose The Volt In June, Good For 2nd Best In The Nation
Unfortunately, that was 910 units less than last month when GM sold 2,698 copies

>>>>>>
11,643 has been sold through July, that is about 1000 more than last year, considering the more generous discount this year and slightly increased EV range, I have a feeling the sales prospect will be significantly less for 2014 model unless there s a bigger price drop, but it is highly unlikely because the 2013 price drop was near the end of model year. GM may delay the price announcement into October and 2014 model will show up in later October!

I have to wonder how much money they lose on each car, why not drop the MRSP to $32,499?

For a start-up company I’m impress, but Tesla really does not have it all over it’s competition like they would like you to think. One has to be naive if they think the major players are being out smarted by a start-up company. I’ve spent my career working for GM and I can tell you, GM will not be outsmarted in the process of building cars!

18

+1

George S. Bower Says

Aug 1st, 2013 (11:08 am)

Nelson:
So of the 3000 employees how many are union workers?Maybe the answer to that question also answers why Tesla makes a profit on each Model S sold.

The video states it takes 5 days for a Model S to go through the line/

How long does it take a Volt to be made from start to finish?

C-5277

24

Jackson Says

Aug 1st, 2013 (12:31 pm)

So what is the future of manufacturing likely to be?

More flexible / fewer humans.

We’re likely to see lines that can turn out 50 kinds of car, 1000 per model, and still make a profit. 12 days a month it may make washing machines and domestic robots instead. That amazing robot that does 3 things will be replaced by one which does 20, and eventually lead to units that do 100s. Look for 3000 robots/robotic processes, with fewer than 160 humans in all (and most of those will be doing CAD fully integrated with robot-programming, or be executives). Sooner than we think we may get to the company which consists of Mr. Spacely, George Jetson, one or two others, and a building full of automation. (I doubt there will be pneumatic people-tubes, and I don’t think office chairs will carry you around on one wheel ).

A force driving this trend is the ever-increasing regulation and taxation surrounding use of human labor, with no end in sight. Don’t discount the flexibility with which industrial concerns will strive to remain profitable. Ironically, this could lead to a future of fewer jobs, as manufacturing returns to mid-20th Century levels, and perhaps rise beyond.

In a way, Tesla seems to be a taking a step backward with so many workers building so few cars. Considering the above, this isn’t all bad; but it’s one reason why the S is so expensive, and why I think the “X” isn’t going to be anywhere near as cheap as Elon claims.

You got your Ying, you got your Yang; you got your law of unintended consequences.

My wife was driving the Volt at night, near the Chattahoochee river, when a deer abruptly jumped right in front of her, then jumped back. It happened far too quickly for her to do anything but brake. There is a fair amount of traffic on that road, and the wildlife has largely adapted to it; but apparently the silent EV drive tricked the deer into thinking it was safe.

You moved the decimal point. Your cost is $0.03414 per mile. Let’s not make the Volt look expensive!

28

+3

Steve-o Says

Aug 1st, 2013 (1:11 pm)

Jackson: Speaking of unintended consequences, have any of you run into this*?

My wife was driving the Volt at night, near the Chattahoochee river, when a deer abruptly jumped right in front of her, then jumped back.It happened far too quickly for her to do anything but brake. There is a fair amount of traffic on that road, and the wildlife has largely adapted to it; but apparently the silent EV drive tricked the deer into thinking it was safe.

Did anyone predict this?

* … so to speak.

Hmm. Unless a gas-only car needs a new muffler, the sound a car makes is primarily tire noise, which is the same for a Volt as for any other car. I have heard Volts drive by while walking on the road a few times, and it is indistinguishable from other cars at 25 to 30 mph. I lived in deer country for several years, and I would just chalk this up to “it happens sometimes.”

They make those deer whistles to put on your car, but I found just scanning the side of the road constantly as I drove to be more effective. A deer can still jump in front of you once in a while, though. I’m glad no one, including the deer, was hurt.

29

+1

Kent Says

Aug 1st, 2013 (1:12 pm)

Steve-o: You moved the decimal point. Your cost is $0.03414 per mile. Let’s not make the Volt look expensive!

I was just checking the math too. $0.341 per mile just didn’t look right.

30

Streetlight Says

Aug 1st, 2013 (1:24 pm)

A wonderful video. This plant is humming. 80 cars/day! You know TESLA just purchased an adjacent (to the plant) 35 acre open tract GM used for testing. No question TESLA works expands the entire site within a year or two.

A few months back, I watched a Discovery documentary on BMW’s South Carolina plant. That emphasis bore on BMW’s quality standards. While here this video features assembly, quality is evident. Like the BMW plant, that factory floor is spotless.

With BMW breathing down MODEL S with its i3, Elon knows multiple model revenue is critical. This factory at least gives Elon production muscle from which he can launch new models.

31

+3

Steve-o Says

Aug 1st, 2013 (1:36 pm)

Jeff Cobb: Realistically – how much do some of you pay per mile to drive your Volt?

Numbers from myvolt.com:
5767 miles
1267 kWh
18.25 gallons of premium
$0.10 per kWh
$4.29 per gallon of premium in my area (according to gasbuddy; I don’t pay much attention)

That comes to $0.0355 per mile. (1267*0.1 + 18.25*4.29)/5767
I am driving about 90% electric over the life of the car so far.
I hadn’t done that calculation before, but I’m pretty happy with it!

The only maintenance is to check the three coolant levels (HV battery, electronics, and heater) , battery fluid level, and tire pressures. The only replaceable are one cabin air filter and the wipers. After 10 years or 96,500 miles the electric motor and gearbox fluid (similar to transmission fluid) is changed. That is all!

Titanium is stronger and lighter than aluminum but is extremely expensive to mold, forge, mill, or cut. So if you want to built the lightest electric vehicle possible, use titanium in the body, chassis, suspension and wheel hubs, and use only light magnetic alloys in the motor itself. Then put a multi-million price tag on it!

Jim I:
The video states it takes 5 days for a Model S to go through the line/

How long does it take a Volt to be made from start to finish?

Between two to three working days.

37

+2

Mark Z Says

Aug 1st, 2013 (3:01 pm)

nasaman:This Forbes article on Tesla appeared a few months ago, but it’s ON topic and worth a quick read:“Tesla’s BMW 3-Series Fighter Just Might Be Your Next Car”

Instead of $30K, Elon Misk is now mentioning a $35,000 price for the smaller EV. Factoring in inflation, the new amount does make sense.

38

+1

Noel Park Says

Aug 1st, 2013 (3:08 pm)

Jackson: There is a fair amount of traffic on that road, and the wildlife has largely adapted to it; but apparently the silent EV drive tricked the deer into thinking it was safe.

#25

I wouldn’t blame it on the Volt. Stock modern ICE cars don’t make much exhaust noise. I would bet that the tire and air flow noise makes the Volt just about as noisy at speed. Deer get hit by ICE cars all the time in areas of the country where there are big deer populations.

There are no deer in my neighborhood, but lots of smaller critters, skunks, raccoons, possums and squirrels for the most part. There is a LOT of traffic on the main streets and the poor things don’t seem very adapted to me. They get run over all the time by ICE cars. It’s really sad.

39

Noel Park Says

Aug 1st, 2013 (3:14 pm)

Raymondjram: Titanium is stronger and lighter than aluminum but is extremely expensive to mold, forge, mill, or cut.

Let’s be honest if Tesla could have built the Model S out of conventional steel they would have. Aluminum became a necessity out of weight reduction due to the pack weight. If conventional steal would have been used they could have reduced the cost quite a bit.

41

Noel Park Says

Aug 1st, 2013 (3:17 pm)

Steve-o: Hmm. Unless a gas-only car needs a new muffler, the sound a car makes is primarily tire noise, which is the same for a Volt as for any other car.

#27

You beat me to it. As you can see below, I have seconded your motion. Thanks +1

Meh.. nothing in this video impresses me. In fact it seems less automated than a lot of other plants I’ve been in. A lot of the projects I work on for Ford & Chrysler are over 90 JPH (jobs per hour). They are cranking out cars at a much faster & automated rate.

The MAP plant (think Ford Focus) and Mercedes plant (Alabama) are just as clean as this plant also. I haven’t been in a GM plant in some time, but for their age, they were not bad either. The Mercedes plant would have a large team of people go through every ~4hours (I think) and clean down all the areas including the robots.

Hat’s of to Telsa for making a “disruptive” long range EV, but they are not doing anything special in the build, IMO. In fact, I thought they went to the Detroit guys to help them figure out how to build in the first place.

Jeff Cobb: Realistically – how much do some of you pay per mile to drive your Volt?
I’d like to write a counterpoint piece mentioning the Volt (and other electrified cars).

I get about 4 miles per kWh.
I pay 9cents/kWh

0.09/4 = 0.0225 cents/mile

46

+1

Streetlight Says

Aug 1st, 2013 (5:31 pm)

kdawg: Hat’s of to Telsa for making a “disruptive” long range EV, but they are not doing anything special in the build, IMO. In fact, I thought they went to the Detroit guys to help them figure out how to build in the first place.

The resurrection of Fremont NUMMI with 3000 workers is beyond marvel. TESLA took this piece x piece. What’s more, the old NUMMI’s mfg relied on assembly of trucking in just about every component entailed nanosecond logistics. Trucks lined up from here to L.

TESLA’s approach of in-house fab is refreshing to be sure from the concept of out-sourcing the entire bill-of-material. True all material needs to be transported in, but fab directly from foundry is unique.

47

richard Says

Aug 1st, 2013 (6:15 pm)

Jackson: Speaking of unintended consequences, have any of you run into this*?

My wife was driving the Volt at night, near the Chattahoochee river, when a deer abruptly jumped right in front of her, then jumped back.It happened far too quickly for her to do anything but brake. There is a fair amount of traffic on that road, and the wildlife has largely adapted to it; but apparently the silent EV drive tricked the deer into thinking it was safe.

Did anyone predict this?

* … so to speak.

This happened to me driving home from college one night 40 years ago and is why I have been so religious about wearing seat belts and requiring it of passengers ever since. My head hurt for days from hitting the windshield in that panic braking that lasted maybe a second.

In the 70s, it was thought that automation would be able to completely automate factories. IOW dump tree logs and tobacco in one end, and get cigarettes in cartons ready to deliver out the other end, with just a few engineers as employees. That worked out so well, that companies have since moved their production to Mexico, China, Indonesia, and elsewhere.

50

+1

George S. Bower Says

Aug 1st, 2013 (8:07 pm)

kdawg:
IMO.In fact, I thought they went to the Detroit guys to help them figure out how to build in the first place.

I think they hired a German expert.

51

George S. Bower Says

Aug 1st, 2013 (8:12 pm)

kdawg:
Meh.. nothing in this video impresses me.In fact it seems less automated than a lot of other plants

Yeh but they got the production rate set way low.
They can crank it up if they get the orders.

The Volt is already a BMW 3-series fighter. I replaced a 5-series with my volt! What good does having a car that can do 150 mph here in the US? I don’t plan on going to the track every weekend. It was fun to drive on the Autobahn when I picked it up, but you can’t legally drive like that here in the US. And the Volt handles just as well as the 535i did.

You counted all of the labor within the Tesla plant, but excluded the equivalent (outsourced) labor for the non-vertically integrated comparator. In science we have a word for such apples-to-oranges comparisons: dishonest.